The Shanghai Masters has turned into the kind of nightmare every tennis player dreads. The heat has been unbearable, and the scorching conditions have already forced withdrawals from defending champion Jannik Sinner, Tomas Machac, Casper Ruud, David Goffin, Hamad Medjedovic, Terence Atmane, and Wu Yibing. And now joining the team is Daniil Medvedev. No, he didn’t withdraw, but he sure looked like he was fighting the heat more than his opponent.

On Monday, the 2019 Shanghai champion faced Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the third round and fought his way to a 6-3, 7-6 win in just under two hours. Medvedev clinched 17 points more than his opponent, but by the end, he was drenched in sweat and gasping for air, sitting courtside with his eyes closed as he tried to recover from the punishing

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